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Reiner Heydrich
Count Reiner Heydrich is a powerful Vampire lord who serves as the main villain of the gamebooks Vault of the Vampire and Revenge of the Vampire. He is portrayed as the classical Vampire lord, with jet-black hair, ivory-white skin, tall, handsome and imposing with aristocratic manners. He is portrayed in the lounge of Castle Heydrich as a tall, handsome man, with black hair tapering to a peak over his forehead and deep green eyes. - 305 Given his incredible strength and numerous abilities, far beyond those of common Vampires (including Countess Isolde of Maun), it can supposed that he has lived for well over a millennium and is actually an Adult Vampire, rather than a Fledgling. Early Life In his human life, Reiner Heydrich was the second son of the count of Mortvania. His elder brother Siegfried Heydrich became count and reigned as a wise and fair ruler praised by everyone, but he was murdered by bitter Reiner. Whether or not Reiner was a Vampire when he committed this atrocity - or whether this was required for him to attain this status - is unknown, but certainly his rule was characteristic of a truly Evil being. - ??? What is certain is that Heydrich had a long history of Vampirism in his family. Pictures in his bedroom/coffin room shows several of Heydrich's vampire ancestors and he himself makes a written mention of one them. Perhaps the most interesting facet of this is the fact that there were Demons in at least one of these pictures, suggesting a pact of some sort. Family Siegfried Reiner hated his older brother Siegfried and killed him, embalming the corpse and placing it in a sarcophagus in the castle crypt. He then sealed or hid his sword "Nightstar", the Shield of Faith and his armour because of their power to harm and even kill him. Siegfried's ghost "haunts" the castle, guiding the player in his quest on several occasions and giving him useful holy relics. He has a minor role in Revenge of the Vampire, being trapped in a sort of Limbo but he can still be a very useful source of information to the player. Katarina Reiner's younger sister, Katarina Heydrich, is a powerful sorceress who keeps her youth and astonishing beauty thanks to a dark ritual utilising the blood of maidens. In the first book she lives in the castle in "good terms" with her brother. She awaits the one who can slay Heydrich in order to become countess. She tries to force the player to do her biding and fights him at the very end after Heydrich's death. (Sk: 10, St: 10) In Revenge of the Vampire she is resurrected by her brother as a Vampire and she fights the player in the final showdown. (Sk: 10/9, St: 11/9) - ??? Other Family Two other Heydrichs, the talented healer Gunthar who is in line for the position of count should his corrupted siblings be slain; and the insane Wilhelm Heydrich - who is actually a cousin of the main line and is liable either to give precious indications or to attack anyone he sees (Sk: 8, St: 7) - were also dwelling in the castle, although how they evaded the malice of their relatives is unknown. Neither of them appear in Revenge of the Vampire. ]] ''Vault of the Vampire'' When the gamebook begins, the whole of Mortvania is under the rule of Count Heydrich who kidnaps young people in the villages in a regular basis to drink their blood or give them to Katarina. The player has to enter his castle swarmed by hordes of undead, Demons and monsters created by Heydrich himself. They must destroy Heydrich's coffins, kill him, rescue Nastassia a young abducted townsgirl, and kill Katarina. The player can meet Heydrich before entering his castle, under the shape of a Wolf if they spend the night at the wrong place. ''Revenge of the Vampire'' Centuries after his first demise, Heydrich is resurrected by three witch sisters who create the Heart Crystal, an unholy relic which prevents the destruction of the Count, unless it is destroyed itself. The four plan to raise an army of Vampires to invade all the Old World, although Reiner secretly intends to get rid of the witches. He bought the Mortus Mansion and uses it as his lair, before corrupting and slaughtering a religious congregation where the player first meet him. In this gamebook, the Vampire count has spies, assassins, Vampires and other Demonic goons everywhere. The player must steal the Heart Crystal and track him down to various places until the final showdown in the Ghoulcrypts where the five Thorn Knights killed the five Great Vampire Elders a very long time ago. It is revealed at the very end that Heydrich actually planed to absorb the Great Elders's powers to become an all-powerful, invincible Vampire. Finally, the players defeats him and his newly reborn sister and destroy them once and for all. Statistics, Powers and Talents *Count Heydrich is a very mighty antagonist. He uses his fists and his astonishing physical strength (and his fangs when sufficiently weakened) in fights and only a magic weapon can harm him. *In Vault of the Vampire, he has 13 in skill and 21 in stamina. *In Revenge of the Vampire, he has 11 in skill and 15 (or 10) in stamina during the regular fights where some of his blows can cost 3 or 6 stamina points or immediately kill the player. *During the final showdown of Revenge of the Vampire, he has 15 in skill and 30 in stamina earning the title of "one of the worst Demons Titan ever knew." Before fighting, he can attack with flames (minus 3 stamina points) and frost, (minus 2 stamina points and 2 skill points for the 3 first Attack Rounds). *Under certain conditions, he can also paralyse the player with his hypnotic gaze and win the fight. *Among his more usual Vampiric abilities is the power to turn into a Bat or mist, and to exert his will over a newly-changed Were-beast when it is still vulnerable to external influence. *Heydrich is also a very clever Evil mastermind, especially in the second book. The author insists on the fear and magnetism he creates among his victims, his own minions and even on the playable character! Potential Basis in Real Life *Reinhard Heydrich was the name of a high ranked dignitary. *Katarina is based on infamous countess , who was falsely accused of bathing in the blood of young girls in the delusion that this would keep her young and beautiful, but she nonetheless murdered them. See Also References Category:Greater Undead Category:Humans-Individuals Category:Major Faces of Titan Category:Major Villains Category:Undead-Individuals Category:Vampires